eBay Tips for Buyers
Almost everyone starts his or her eBay experience as a buyer. Learning how to buy effectively will improve your eBay experience and prepare you for becoming a seller. I recommend you make at least ten successful transactions on eBay before trying to sell. We hope the following tips will make you a better and more successful buyer.
1. Build A Positive Feedback Rating Give and get good feedback. This is less critical for buyers than for sellers, but having a good feedback rating makes other eBayers comfortable doing business with you. For example, I accept checks for immediate shipment if the buyer has a good feedback rating. If someone has very little feedback (less than 20) or several negative comments, then I hold the checks until they clear before sending an item.
2. How to build feedback quickly? Here is a quick way to build good feedback: make some purchases for a few lower cost items you use everyday or that you would normally buy at a store. There are plenty of items in the Health & Beauty category that you buy every day such as shampoo and razor blades –often at prices less than you would pay at Wal-Mart. Pay promptly using PayPal and immediately post feedback for the seller as soon as you get the item. If the seller does not post feedback, send them a short email telling them that you posted feedback for them and you would appreciate them reciprocating.
3. Be generous with your feedback Post feedback quickly and leave specific comments. Leaving a comment that says: "great seller," is nice –but it is more helpful to say, "Item arrived quickly in perfect condition, just as described." Or: "Quick Professional transaction –good email and just what I ordered." If the seller sells something specific you can mention it such as: "Beautiful Print –I will enjoy for many years." This type of feedback is very helpful to future buyers and it tends to get you better feedback comments in return.
4. Use PayPal Sellers want to be paid quickly and everyone is concerned about fraud. There is no faster or safer way to complete an eBay transaction than PayPal (owned by eBay). PayPal is now used by over 100 Million users around the world and now processes more debit and credit card payments than Citibank. Over 80% of registered eBay users accept PayPal and eBay has fully integrated PayPal into their systems. Take the time to become a verified seller and always give your verified shipping address. This gets you the fraud protection. Go to www.paypal.com .Did you know you can also use PayPal as a savings account? According to Money Magazine, PayPal now pays the highest rate on ordinary savings accounts. When I wrote this PayPal was paying 4.8% while my bank, Wells Fargo, was only paying 3.3%.
5. Avoid Fraud on Large Purchases Given the millions of transactions that occur each month, fraud is actually rare on eBay but it does exist. The most common type of fraud on eBay is a seller that offers an expensive item for sale at an unbelievably good price. When you win the item the seller asks to be paid in cash, cashiers check or money order. You send the money and then the seller disappears. Demanding a cashier’s check or a money order only is a red flag. Never bid on a large purchase if the seller will not take PayPal or a credit card. Always check the seller's feedback and how long they have been registered on eBay. Most fraudsters set up an eBay account, run a few quick expensive auctions, get the money and either disappears or are kicked off of eBay as soon as they are discovered. Be especially careful if the seller is located outside the U.S.
5. Avoid Fraud on Large Purchases Given the millions of transactions that occur each month, fraud is actually rare on eBay but it does exist. The most common type of fraud on eBay is a seller that offers an expensive item for sale at an unbelievably good price. When you win the item the seller asks to be paid in cash, cashiers check or money order. You send the money and then the seller disappears. Demanding a cashier’s check or a money order only is a red flag. Never bid on a large purchase if the seller will not take PayPal or a credit card. Always check the seller's feedback and how long they have been registered on eBay. Most fraudsters set up an eBay account, run a few quick expensive auctions, get the money and either disappears or are kicked off of eBay as soon as they are discovered. Be especially careful if the seller is located outside the U.S.
6. Pay sellers quickly Paying quickly will help you build feedback faster and you will get your item sooner.
7. Be honest – admit your mistakes If you forgot about the auction and are late getting a payment off or you forgot to ship something you sold – be up front and honest. Apologize and admit your mistake. People can be very forgiving if they believe you. They can be unforgiving if they think they are being B.S.’ed.
8. Create an About Me page on eBay. EBay allows you to create a page to describe you and your family or even include your pets. You can put a photo on the page, talk about your hobbies, your family – basically anything you like. The About Me page is where a person can get a sense of who you are and if they would like to do business with you. If you have a web site, this is the one place on eBay where it is allowed to direct buyers to your web site.
9. Master the power of searching. According to eBay, about 65% of bidders find their item by searching. Including the exact name of the product you are selling is key to bidders finding your auction. Some sellers place a tilde (~) or a star * next to their auction title to help get attention. Place a space between a tilde (or *) and a word, or the word will not come up in a search. For example: *Nikon* would not result in any items found, because eBay’s search engine sees the * as part of the word. According to Power Seller News, some of the most searched words on eBay are: DVD, Art, BMW, Gucci, Longaberger, Louis Vuitton, Laptop, Playstation 2 and Paintball. Use eBay’s powerful search engine to find items and to see what items are selling and how much they are selling for.
10. Be sure to thank people Send an email to your seller when the item arrives. Thank them and let them know you posted feedback and are happy with the transaction.
Suzuki Motorcycle (Category: )
Custom Built Motorcycles : DAM Siver/Black DAM Motorcycles Custom Sport Show Bike S&S V-Twin 117CI
 | US $14,995.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 18:30:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : Hayabusa Suzuki: 2007 Black hayabusa motorcycle Bike custom LQQK
 | US $9,500.00 End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 20:14:05 PST Buy It Now for only: US $9,500.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : SV SV 650 650 Naked Sport Bike
 | US $2,275.00 (7 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 20:46:14 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Honda : CRF CRF50F NEW 2007 Honda CRF50F C.S.
 | US $859.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 8:00:08 PST Buy It Now for only: US $859.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Honda : CRF CRF250R 2008 NEW Honda CRF250R
 | US $5,299.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 9:11:30 PST Buy It Now for only: US $5,299.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Harley-Davidson 1996 HARLEY DAVIDSON FXD 1340 CC CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE
 | US $9,995.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 9:38:53 PST Buy It Now for only: US $9,995.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Hyosung : INITIAL_VALUE Hyosung GT650R demo - Silver and Black - 2 yr. Warranty
 | US $5,500.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 10:04:01 PST Buy It Now for only: US $6,299.00 Bid now | Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : Boulevard C90t 2005 Suzuki Boulevard 1500 - Excellent Condition!
 | US $4,801.00 (14 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 12:04:08 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Kawasaki KX65 2009 Kawasaki KX65 C.S.
 | US $2,399.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 13:00:11 PST Buy It Now for only: US $2,399.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Kawasaki : Ninja Ninja ZX-6R NEW 2008 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
 | US $7,199.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 13:30:01 PST Buy It Now for only: US $7,199.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : GSX-R GSX-R 600 2006 Suzuki GSXR 600 GSXR600
 | US $5,495.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 13:35:41 PST Buy It Now for only: US $5,495.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Yamaha : YZF YZ250F 2008 NEW Yamaha YZ250F C.S.
 | US $4,799.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 14:00:02 PST Buy It Now for only: US $4,799.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : GSX-R GSX-R750 2008 Suzuki GSX-R750 C.S.
 | US $8,899.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 14:00:04 PST Buy It Now for only: US $8,899.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : GSX-R GSX-R600 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600 C.S.
 | US $7,899.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 14:00:06 PST Buy It Now for only: US $7,899.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : Other T200 Good Shape 1967 Suzuki T200's
 | US $1,000.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 14:48:26 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : Suzuki GT550 CLASSIC 1974 SUZUKI GT550
 | US $1,000.00 (7 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 17:23:59 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : Suzuki GS500E 1989 Suzuki GS500E Motorcycle
 | US $449.54 (7 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 18:19:21 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : Boulevard Suzuki Boulevard M109 Motorcycle
 | US $6,601.00 (8 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 18:30:20 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : RM RM80 2001 Suzuki RM80 RM 80 dirtbike
 | US $450.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 21:09:58 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki VOLUSIA 2001 VOLUSIA 800 MUST SELL PRE-OWNED PROJECT
 | US $1,145.00 (9 Bids) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 6:54:17 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Honda NEW!! 2008 GL1800 PREM AUDIO NAVI ABS GOLDWING $19,298!
 | US $19,298.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 7:13:16 PST Buy It Now for only: US $19,298.00 Bid now | Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Honda NEW!! 2008 GL1800 PREMIUM AUDIO NAVI GOLDWING $18,498!
 | US $18,498.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 7:14:18 PST Buy It Now for only: US $18,498.00 Bid now | Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : DR-Z DR-Z DRZ125 2005 Suzuki DR-Z125 DRZ125 Dirt bike BUY IT NOW NR !!!!
 | US $1,399.00 End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 9:17:08 PST Buy It Now for only: US $1,399.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : RM-Z Suzuki RM-Z 450 Motocross Motorcycle 2005
 | US $3,000.00 End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 10:10:20 PST Buy It Now for only: US $3,000.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki Bandit 1250 2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250
 | US $5,300.00 (13 Bids) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 12:10:56 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki V-Strom 2003 Suzuki V-Strom DL1000 - TopGun-Motosports
 | US $4,999.00 End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 14:40:58 PST Buy It Now for only: US $4,999.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : RM RM65 2004 Suzuki RM65 Dirt bike NO RESERVE BUY IT NOW !!!!
 | US $1,299.00 End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 14:42:33 PST Buy It Now for only: US $1,299.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : GS 2006 Suzuki GS500, black, great starter bike!
 | US $510.09 (5 Bids) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 15:10:50 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : 750 1982 SUZUKI 750 MOTORCYCLE: NO RESERVE!!
 | US $511.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 17:00:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : SV SV 1000 2003 Suzuki SV1000
 | US $2,500.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 17:19:24 PST Buy It Now for only: US $4,500.00 Bid now | Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki 125 cc Dirt Bike
 | US $425.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 19:01:43 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : GT750 Suzuki GT750 in Great Condition.
 | US $1,050.00 (2 Bids) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 20:14:33 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : GSX-R gsxr 750 -I CAN SHIP 2006 Suzuki GSXR 750 MINT!! CHEAP -- I CAN DELIVER
 | US $5,190.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 6:20:36 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : Intruder Intruder with lots of chrome
 | US $2,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 6:23:59 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Suzuki : GSX-R 2007 Suzuki GSX-R 750 BLK/GRY/SLV
 | US $7,500.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 6:40:33 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |